The present invention relates generally to instrumentation displays, and more specifically, to displays used in testing, monitoring and manufacturing equipment.
Active bar graph displays are a commonly used form of display found in instrumentation in industrial control rooms, on industrial testing equipment, and on individual machinery controls, for example. Such displays provide a simple and easily read and interpreted form of displaying and permitting the comparison of quantitative data, such as, for example, via spreadsheet-style applications. If a plurality of numerical values need to be shown simultaneously, e.g., for purposes of comparison of the respective numerical values, multiple “bars” are often displayed. Comparing quantitative data can be made easier by displaying the multiple bars side-by-side, with one behind and to the side of the other (in a simulated three-dimensional fashion), or in a tandem pattern, for example.
However, the available visible area that is provided on known instrument displays is often limited. For example, there may be insufficient area to permit multiple bars of a bar graph to be displayed simultaneously in side-by-side or tandem arrangement. The limited display may require the user to navigate through multiple screens in order to review or compare related data or measurements, or may require the user to use multiple separate display or monitoring devices. Alternatively, reducing the size scale of the image, in order to permit multiple bars to be seen simultaneously, may result in the image, and in particular the graduation marks or other units of measurement, being rendered too small in size to be easily seen. The use of such alternatives to enable the simultaneous viewing of related data or measurements may lead to increased costs and/or a loss of efficiency.
It would be desirable to provide a bar graph display system and method that enables multiple quantitative and/or numerical values, particularly measurements that may be directly related to one another, to be displayed in such a way that immediate visual comparison of the respective measured characteristics, including the relationships between the characteristics, is enabled.